Finance Manager in Weybridge

As the Senior Finance Manager you will make a highly significant contribution to the success of the Surrey Pension Team. You will operate with a high degree of professional independence and autonomy, performing a mix of operational and project-related work in line with Surrey Pension Team plans to deliver its strategic objectives. You will have responsibility for leading a team of managers and officers across financial matters of the Surrey Pension Fund to deliver key operational work.

Responsibilities

• Deliver the Surrey Pension Team Finance Strategy including preparation of the annual Pension Fund accounts and Annual Report.
• Ensure key financial controls are robust, forecast and set both the service operating budget and the Fund budget.
• Manage all banking and income transactions, allocating, recording and reporting (including KPIs) these accurately and timely.
• Liaise with key senior stakeholders including the Pension Fund Committee, the Local Pension Board, employers, auditors, actuaries, funding managers, custodians, and the Fund pool and its partners.
• Draft reports for both Committee and Board and present on all matters relating to the financial position of the Surrey Pension Team and Fund.
• Deputise for the Head of Pensions - Resources, covering key meetings such as Pension Fund Committee, Local Pension Board, PSLT and with key stakeholders when required.
• Adopt the Surrey Pension Team culture of strong standards and accountability to responsibly deliver a first-class customer experience and work collaboratively with all services within Surrey Pensions.
• Actively seek service improvements through continuous improvement and digital initiatives in line with strategic objectives, to improve operational efficiency and customer experience.

Shortlisting Criteria

• Build trusting partnerships, offering constructive challenge and communicating complex financial/pension information clearly to non-specialists.
• Demonstrate adaptability, a positive approach to change, and a commitment to giving and receiving feedback.
• Hold a recognised accountancy qualification (e.g., ACA, ACCA, CIPFA).
• Possess strong knowledge of public sector finance/pensions, including statutory regulations, accounting requirements, and/or local authority/pension account structures.
• Analyse, interpret, model, and reconcile complex financial/pension data with high attention to detail, including resolving issues such as ledger and tax reconciliations.
• Use IT systems and financial tools effectively, acting as a subject matter expert and producing/interpret complex reports, including liaison with third party providers.

Application questions

• The Surrey Pension Team emphasises accountability, customer experience and continuous improvement. Tell us about a time you embedded cultural or process improvements within your team.
• The role oversees the Surrey Pension Team budget and supports the Surrey Pension Fund. Please give an example of when you have managed budgets and financial operations. What controls and forecasting approaches did you implement?
• Describe a complex reconciliation you've managed involving multiple financial or pension data sources. What specific technical tools or methods did you use to cleanse, transform and validate the data?
• Tell us about a time you evaluated service delivery and introduced an innovative solution to improve efficiency, quality or customer experience.

Surrey County Council is undergoing Local Government Reorganisation, moving from a two-tier system to two new unitary councils in April 2027. If you are employed by Surrey on 1 April 2027, your role will transfer with current terms and conditions to one of the new organisations, supporting local devolution and greater powers for our communities. Join our dynamic team and shape the future of local government. Make a lasting impact with innovative solutions and improved services for our community. Help us build a brighter future for our residents!

Our Commitment

The starting salary for this role is £61,754 per annum, working 36 hours per week. This is an 18-month fixed term contract/secondment opportunity with the possibility of an extension.